Dental implants are commonly used in oral treatment procedures to restore appearance or function of lost or damaged teeth. Initial stability of the dental implantation can be difficult for patients with soft bone, patients suffering from osteo-disorders, or dental conditions associated with smoking or diabetes. Further, insufficient resistance or holding strength offered by the bone to stabilize the implant during or immediately after the surgery can increase dental implantation difficulties.
Various dental implants can mimic the root of the tooth that is intended to be replaced by the implants to increase stability. Those dental implants can include cylindrical exterior surfaces configured to be press fit into the dental bones, such as by inserting into an osteotomy created by a surgeon or inserting the implant in a cavity resulting from extraction of a tooth. More recently, self-tapping dental implants have been widely used to facilitate the insertion of the implant by creating threads in the dental bone as the implant is inserted. The threading process can lead to compaction of the bone around the threaded region of the implant to provide initial stability or to shield the bone from a load bearing activity during the healing process or osseointegration.
Though threaded implants can provide some initial stability, the outcome of the dental implantation can often depend on the quality of the dental bone into which the implant is inserted. For example, some bone can be soft or diseased and therefore unsuitable for threading. In addition, horizontal or vertical bone resorption can occur during the healing period after extraction. The resulting horizontal or vertical bone loss or weakening can lead to insufficient resistance or holding strength offered by the bone to stabilize the implant during or immediately after the implantation.
Bone augmentation, in which horizontal or vertical ridges are augmented prior to or after implantation can increase stability of dental bone. Existing methods for dental bone augmentation can include non-resorbable polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes with autograft, titanium mesh with particular grafts, forced tooth eruption, autogenous block grafting, or distraction oseteogenesis. Those methods can require up to about 12-16 weeks of bone healing or bone growth period, after which the implant can be placed at the intended location.